Robotic tentacle targets keyhole surgery

Italian engineers have built a robotic arm, aimed at improving surgical operations and inspired by the octopus. Just like its aquatic inspiration, the robotic tentacle has no rigid skeleton; it can bend, stretch and switch between flexible and rigid states as required. Its movement is driven by inflatable compartments and its stiffness by a central tube containing a specially selected granular medium: coffee. When suction is applied, the granules...

Read More

College Student to Jeb Bush ‘Your Brother Created ISIS’

“Your brother created ISIS,” the young woman told Jeb Bush. And with that, Ivy Ziedrich, a 19-year-old college student, created the kind of confrontational moment here on Wednesday morning that presidential candidates dread. Mr. Bush, the former governor of Florida, had just concluded a town-hall-style meeting when Ms. Ziedrich demanded to be heard. “Governor Bush,” she shouted as audience members asked him for his autograph. “Would you take...

Read More

Embryo engineering a moral duty, says top scientist

It would be unethical and a "sin of omission" to prevent the genetic engineering of embryos, a leading scientist has argued. Cloning pioneer Dr Tony Perry told the BBC that advances in genetics posed a "wonderful opportunity" for eliminating diseases such as cystic fibrosis. Last month, a group in China announced it was the first to successfully edit the genome of a human embryo. Other scientists say it is unnecessary and a line that should...

Read More

North Korea Defence Chief Hyon Yong-chol 'executed'

North Korea's Defence Minister Hyon Yong-chol has been executed for showing disloyalty to Kim Jong-il, South Korea's spy agency has told parliament. MPs were told Mr Hyon was killed on 30 April by anti-aircraft fire in front of an audience of hundreds, the Yonhap news agency reports. It said Mr Hyon had fallen asleep during an event attended by Kim Jong-un and had not carried out instructions. Reports from North Korea are impossible to independently...

Read More

Tom Brady 'Deflategate' player banned for four matches

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been suspended for four games by the National Football League after an inquiry into under-inflated balls. Brady, 37, will not receive any pay during his ban, while the team have been fined $1m (£642,000) for a scandal that has become known as 'Deflategate'. The NFL said on Monday the club were sanctioned after "failure to cooperate in the subsequent investigation". Last week, Brady said the findings...

Read More

South Wales 'Ride me' bus advert sparks online backlash

A south Wales bus company says it will withdraw an advertising campaign following an online backlash. The New Adventure Travel advert depicts a semi-naked woman on the back of buses holding a billboard which reads: "Ride me all day for £3". The company said it had been trying to "make catching the bus attractive to the younger generation." It has attracted an angry response on social media - including criticism by MPs. On Facebook, one person...

Read More

Greece’s plight at odds with public's lack of concern as default deferred – for now

“Nothing will change this week,” said Aris Karnachoritis confidently as the waitress handed out bottles of beer and frosted glasses to him and his friends. Constantinos Neocleous, sitting beside him at a table on the beach at Vouliagmeni near Athens, nodded in agreement. “It’s not in anyone’s interests to have a crisis now,” he said. Beyond the beach lay shallow waters of radiant turquoise. Children paddled. Teenagers romped. And from nearby,...

Read More

Nato kicks out Russian spies but revives Kremlin hotline amid Ukraine tensions

The western military alliance is reviving cold war-style hotlines to the Kremlin and the Russian general staff in Moscow to reduce the chances of escalating military confrontation and miscalculation as the Ukraine conflict fuels east-west tension. While seeking to boost military contacts with the Russians, Nato has also moved to rid its Brussels headquarters of what are believed to be dozens of Russian spies. In an interview with the Guardian,...

Read More

EU draws up plans for military attacks on Libya targets to stop migrant boats

The European Union has drawn up plans for military attacks in Libya to try to curb the influx of migrants across the Mediterranean by targeting the trafficking networks. It is to launch a bid on Monday to secure a UN mandate for armed action in Libya’s territorial waters. Britain is drafting the UN security council resolution that would authorise the mission, said senior officials in Brussels. It would come under Italian command, have the participation...

Read More

Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

Windows 10 is going to be the last major revision of the operating system. Jerry Nixon, a Microsoft development executive, said in a conference speech this week that Windows 10 would be the "last version" of the dominant desktop software. His comments were echoed by Microsoft which said it would update Windows in future in an "ongoing manner". Instead of new stand-alone versions, Windows 10 would be improved in regular instalments, the firm...

Read More

Dazzled by Australia's precious opals

It's exactly 100 years since the teenage Willie Hutchinson stumbled across a few pieces of opal while walking in the Australian Outback. There with his father to prospect for gold, the youngster's chance find led to a gemstone mining boom and the establishment of the town of Coober Pedy. Today, the settlement even refers to itself as the "opal capital of the world", with the wider Australian deposits producing more than 80% of the world's precious...

Read More

Ten giant animals that are long since dead

Today Earth is home to the heaviest animal that has ever lived: the blue whale. As far as we know, no past animal has ever weighed more. But some have been longer. While the large dinosaurs tend to grab more than their fair share of attention, there have been many other giant animals that we will never get to see in the flesh. Some are the super-sized ancestors of creatures alive today, while others appear especially bizarre to us because they...

Read More

Real Madrid: Spanish club tops 'world's most valuable team list'

(CNN) - If Real Madrid and Barcelona progress to the European Champions League final, it will mean not only another all-Spanish showdown -- but also a clash between the world's two most valuable football teams. Real tops Forbes' latest ranking with a value of $3.26 billion, while Barca is not far behind on $3.16 billion. The Madrid club, which faces a 2-1 semifinal deficit against Juventus as it seeks to win an 11th European title, has topped...

Read More

Exit poll UK Conservatives just shy of a majority; Labour wiped out in Scotland

The exit poll in Britain's general election predicted late Thursday that the Conservative Party will win 316 seats, just short of a majority in the House of Commons, meaning that David Cameron will likely remain prime minister. The surprise poll results were in contrast to polls leading up to the election that suggested Cameron's party would not come close to a majority, and would be locked in a much tighter race with the opposition Labour Party,...

Read More

Carlo Ancelotti: 'I want to stay at Real Madrid for the rest of my life'

She is the presumed favorite of Latino voters and, today in Las Vegas, Hillary Clinton doubled down on what is seen as a gateway issue for that voting bloc. She laid out her plan for comprehensive immigration reform at a campaign event—including a pathway to citizenship, willingness to take executive action, and reforming detention programs. At a campaign event today, her third since announcing she's running for president, Clinton made immigration...

Read More

Carlo Ancelotti: 'I want to stay at Real Madrid for the rest of my life'

(CNN) - Since the turn of the century 11 coaches have come and gone at Real Madrid, but the 12th is looking to buck that trend -- so much so he'd like to stay at the club for the rest of his life. And such is the thickness of Carlo Ancelotti's skin he relishes the scrutiny -- good and bad -- of a job that demands each coach must deliver instant success and global domination. "I like everything in this atmosphere -- even the criticism," the...

Read More

Mayweather v Pacquiao Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen refuses to pay up on £3,300 bet

Floyd Mayweather’s defeat of Manny Pacquiao has led to all sorts of hysterical reaction, but on Monday a surprise new voice entered into the debate. Hun Sen, the Cambodian prime minister of more than 30 years, is refusing to pay up on a £3,300 bet on the outcome of the ‘Fight of the Century’ on the grounds that Mayweather’s points win was unfair. According to the Cambodia Daily newspaper, the PM, and former Khmer Rouge commander, expressed...

Read More

Cunard's 175th anniversary Liners gather in Southampton

Cunard's three liners have gathered in Southampton to mark the start of the shipping company's 175th anniversary celebrations. The Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria started a procession down Southampton Water at about 17:45 BST after an hour's delay. It was organised to pay homage to the city which is the fleet's home port. Further celebrations will take place in Liverpool, where the company has its headquarters, in May and...

Read More

Fans disgusted with money-hungry Floyd Mayweather

From the MGM Grand to homes across America, boxing fans rained boos on Floyd Mayweather over the weekend — but the only sound the welterweight champ could hear was the ka-ching of cash registers. With Saturday night’s fight making him the highest-paid champ in boxing history, Mayweather hardly seemed to notice he was also one of the most reviled. “The check’s got nine figures on it, baby,” Mayweather bragged Sunday, as he waved the $100 million...

Read More

Two gunmen shot dead by cops after opening fire outside controversial 'Prophet Muhammad' art exhibit in Texas

Two gunmen were shot to death by police in Texas on Sunday after the pair opened fire outside a controversial contest for cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, officials said. The gunmen shot and wounded a security officer moments after after driving up to the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, a Dallas suburb. Garland police officers quickly confronted the duo and killed them both in a brief gunfight. A bomb squad was then called in to search...

Read More

Royal princess named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, Kensington Palace has said. The fourth in line to the throne will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. She was born on Saturday in the Lindo Wing of London's St Mary's Hospital weighing 8lbs 3oz (3.7kg). The Queen and other senior royals were told of the baby's name before the announcement was made public. The BBC's royal correspondent...

Read More

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Defeats Manny Pacquiao in Boxing’s Big Matchup

LAS VEGAS — Floyd Mayweather Jr., the 38-year-old with the baby face and the unblemished professional boxing record, beat Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night with a unanimous decision in what was considered the highest-grossing bout in history. In a long-anticipated fight between the two dominant welterweights of the past decade, Mayweather stretched his record to 48-0 while quieting critics who thought he had spent years avoiding a showdown with...

Read More

The most corrupt countries in the world, ranked in order

Transparency International has released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks 175 countries on their levels of public sector corruption. A statement released with the report indicated that a low score “is likely a sign of widespread bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don’t respond to citizens’ needs”. It is pointed out that while no countries score 0 (highly corrupt), there are also none scoring...

Read More

President Bush's 2015 W100K bike ride: Healing the invisible wounds of war

Up ahead the mountain bikes cross the trail in perfect military alignment, their tires lining up as one, until a warrior falls. And then a swarm of hands reaches down to help. It is the fifth annual W100K Warrior Mountain Bike Ride on President George W. Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas. The former president and commander in chief still leads by example. He is at the front of the pack, setting the standard for negotiating the turns...

Read More

Society’s Dropouts 48 Eye-Opening Photos Of America’s 1970s Hippie Communes

Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, a deep-seated social discontent developed among young people in the United States. These were men who’d been forced to fight a war they didn’t believe in only to return home to a country that didn’t want them. The country was filled with college graduates lacking any job prospects, young women who refused to lead their mothers’ lives, and the myth of an “equal” society that couldn’t seem to shake it’s nasty...

Read More

Freddie Gray Curfew enforced after protesters' celebration over charges

Baltimore (CNN) - After a day of jubilation following charges against six Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, protesters cleared the streets early Saturday to observe a curfew. A few protesters scuffled with police after 10 p.m., when the curfew went into effect. Police arrested 53 people Friday, including 15 as a result of curfew violations. Authorities used a megaphone from a helicopter to warn protesters to go home or...

Read More

Nepal quake 'No chance' to find more survivors, as death toll rises

Nepal's authorities have ruled out the possibility of finding more survivors of last Saturday's earthquake, as the death toll has risen to 6,621. "We are trying our best in rescue and relief work but now I don't think that there is any possibility of survivors under the rubble," Home Ministry spokesman Laxmi Prasad Dhakal told AFP. Nepal said 14,021 people were injured in the 7.9 magnitude quake. The fate of thousands of people in remote areas...

Read More

Record opening stand stuns Pakistan

The prospect of surviving five sessions under a heavy deficit against a potent bowling attack would have forced most sides into a shell. Ten years ago in Dhaka, Bangladesh had batted out 142 overs against Zimbabwe to force a draw and win their first Test series. Nafees Iqbal had knuckled down to score 121 in almost six hours in that match. Faced with a daunting deficit of 296, Nafees' brother Tamim Iqbal, however, chose an alternative approach....

Read More